EOS Additive Manufacturing for motor racing components

Motor racing has been the think-tank of the automotive industry for decades. It is here that new ideas and technologies are put into practice before finding their way into serial production. A large number of components used in motor racing are custom-built. In addition to precisely defined functional properties, low weight and a high degree of stability are usually crucial requirements. This imposes considerable demands in terms of the manufacturing technology used: it has to enable innovative and often unusual designs, as well as allowing parts and part variants to be produced cost-efficiently and as simply as possible.

EOS Additive Manufacturing technology perfectly meets these requirements. It gives design engineers the necessary freedom to convert innovative ideas into high-performance products, sometimes based on highly complex designs, it only involves the application of material where it is functionally required, so the resulting components are extremely light yet highly rigid as well as comprising integrated functions where necessary.

Since the set-up in Additive Manufacturing does not require tools, design engineers can directly optimize computer aided design component data and produce product variants at short notice. What is more, users have a diverse range of materials at their disposal: EOS offers a broad spectrum of high-quality metals and plastics with various properties. It is because of these benefits that there are so many motor racing teams using EOS Additive Manufacturing techniques.

International cooperation: The race car from the team Global Formula Racing is the first and only electric vehicle that was designed and produced by students from a German and American university (Source: Global Formula Racing).

International cooperation: The race car from the team Global Formula Racing is the first and only electric vehicle that was designed and produced by students from a German and American university (Source: Global Formula Racing).

Source: Global Formula Racing

Source: Global Formula Racing

Young engineers win with EOS

EOS is actively involved in promoting young engineering talent and supports the "Formula Student" teams - an international design engineering competition for universities. Students compete with each other to develop a formula racing car from scratch. The standards are high: in addition to acceleration and lap times, aspects such as cost and fuel efficiency also count towards the final rating. In collaboration with the "Formula Student" teams, EOS solves problems where conventional production techniques fail.

"Uni Stuttgart" racing team used the EOS laser sintering method to create a particularly light and stable wheelsuspension , while Global Formula Racing Team produced a compact, modular battery system for its electrically-powered racing car series. These components significantly increased the performance of these monocoque racing vehicles. After a highly successful 2012 season, the "Uni Stuttgart" racing team finally achieved overall victory at Hockenheimring.

Customer Statement: Pankl Racing System AG

Stefan Seidel, Chief Technical Officer at Pankl Racing Systems talks about the use of additive manufacturing systems by EOS and the benefits of the technology.

Case Studies

Wheel suspension

Topology-optimized wheel suspension

Drive shaft

An innovative drive shaft design results in more than 70 per cent weight reduction